Biographical Sketch:

Dr. Amari received her doctoral degree in 2005 from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). While pursuing her advanced degree, she held positions in the Department of Behavioral Psychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, including roles as a clinical specialist and program specialist on the Neurobehavioral Unit, and research project coordinator and case manager for the Pediatric Psychology Consultation Service, for which she also recently served as inpatient consultation coordinator. She is a licensed psychologist, and currently provides training and supervision to pre-doctoral interns and post-doctoral fellows in pediatric psychology.

Research Summary:

Dr. Amari's research interests focus on the development and evaluation of interventions to promote child coping and adjustment to acute and chronic medical conditions and associated medical and rehabilitation treatment. She has a special interest in the application of behavior analysis methods, such as functional and stimulus preference assessment and use of differential reinforcement and shaping, to facilitate optimal mental and physical health outcomes in children and adolescents with a wide array of conditions, including chronic pain and functional disability, spinal cord injury, and disorders of consciousness after brain injury. She recently conducted a study that assessed food preferences compatible with the ketogenic diet in children with seizure disorders, and is currently examining if such preferences predict diet efficacy.